Flyers Alumni History

Flyers chairman Ed Snider brought hockey back to Philadelphia in 1967 and a love affair between city and team was born. One of six expansion teams, the Flyers not only won their division in their first season, but eventually became the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup in 1974.

The Flyers Alumni Association (a 501(c)(3) organization) was originally named the Philadelphia Legends. The Association was created in 1984 and continues to grow with membership consisting of national and global former Philadelphia Flyers players. The Alumni can be found playing games around the world and participating in other charitable projects throughout the year.

Through the years, the Flyers Alumni Association has maintained a tradition of giving back to the Delaware Valley community. Charities and community organizations that have been supported in the past include St. John's Hospice, Ronald McDonald House, March of Dimes South Jersey and Junior Achievement of Delaware.

50th Anniversary Alumni Game

Presented by AAA, on January 14, 2017, the Flyers Alumni will celebrate 50 seasons of Philadelphia Flyers hockey with a 50th Anniversary Alumni Game against the Pittsburgh Penguins Alumni. Game time will be at 7 p.m. EST.

Proceeds from the game will benefit the charitable and community-based works of the Flyers Alumni Association and Flyers Charities.

2016 Flyers Alumni Fantasy Camp

The second annual Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Fantasy Camp was held on August 19-22, 2016 in Atlantic City, NJ. This unique event provided adult hockey players with the opportunity to interact with Flyers legends both on and off the ice. Proceeds from Fantasy Camp benefited the Flyers Alumni and Flyers Charities.

This year, the participating Flyers Alumni instructors and tournament included Hockey Hall of Famers Bernie Parent and Mark Howe, along with the likes of Danny Briere and Flyers assistant coach Ian Laperriere. Other participating Alumni included Brad Marsh, Todd "Fridge" Fedoruk, Bob "the Hound" Kelly and Flyers Hall of Famers Brian Propp and Joe Watson.

Dave Poulin

When young Dave Poulin hit the ice in his native Timmins, Ontario, he did so as a figure skater, an art he pursued until age eight when his family moved south to Mississauga. Once established in his new setting, he took up the game of hockey and found he could out skate all of the other lads his age but was so small physically that he was consistently cut from the local house-league teams.

But Poulin never looked at hockey as an end. For him, it was only a means to obtain a scholarship to attend university. So he persisted with the game until Notre Dame University opened its doors and put him onto the ice where he skated for the Fighting Irish from 1978 to 1982. He then received an invitation to play for a season in Sweden, an offer he happily accepted, having been overlooked in the NHL Entry Draft.

Poulin's coach in Sweden was Ted Sator who doubled as a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers. He liked what he saw in his new recruit and informed the Flyers who were quick to bring him on board later that season. By 1983-84, Poulin became a Flyer regular on a line with Tim Kerr and Brian Propp. He went on to establish a team record for rookie scoring with 76 points. In addition to points, his leadership, work ethic and solid two-way play won him the team's captaincy.

Over his six-plus season in Philly, Poulin won the Frank Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, an award given to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.

By 1989-90, however, Poulin's stock with the Flyers plummeted for inexplicable reasons. He was stripped of his captaincy and quickly dispatched to the Boston Bruins for Ken Linseman. In his first season in Beantown, Poulin and the Bruins made it to the Stanley Cup finals where they lost out to the Edmonton Oilers in 1990. He continued on with the club until signing with the Washington Capitals as a free agent in 1993. He lasted another season and a half before opting to retire to assume a post as head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.